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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has recorded at least 23
verified incidents targeting the Christian community in the months of September
- October 2015. This includes one person being killed by unidentified people in
Jharkhand while other incidents like arrests on cooked up charges and attacks
on individual Christians and worship services continued. At least one act of
vandalism of a cemetery was reported from Karnataka.

Most of the incidents came from the central Indian states of Madhya
Pradesh (11 incidents) and Chhattisgarh (5 incidents). Jharkhand reported two
incidents, Delhi, one; Uttar Pradesh, one, Punjab, one; Gujarat, one and
Karnataka reported one incident.

Majority of the incidents centered on the tribal belts of Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand with tribal Christians bearing the brunt of
most of the violence.

These incidents of hate crime and violence against the Christian
minority are at best a partial indicator of the situation of Christians in the
country for many incidents are not even reported. The Evangelical Fellowship of
India urges the central government and the respective state governments to look
into these incidents and take steps to check the hate and ensure justice and
protection for the minority community.

Christian Cemetery
Vandalised in Belgaum, Karnataka

September 7, 2015: A cemetery in Belgaum of Karnataka was found
vandalized on September 7, 2015 when a group of people went to bury their dead.
According to reports in the media, the vandals have uprooted more than a dozen
crosses, broke up some gravestones and dig up some graves. The incident
happened at Bharatnagar of Shahapur area, which is about 2kms from Belgaum
city.

Three Christians including
two pastors jailed at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

September 8, 2015: Three Christians including two pastors are in
jail in Jagdalpur, Bastar district since September 8, 2015. Pastor Loknath
Baghel, Pastor Suddu Baghel, and Tikaram Netam of Barpaguda village of Bastar
district were arrested after they opposed the takeover of their village land.
The land in question has been used as a graveyard in the past and now has been
marked by the government authorities that want to develop a pond there. A FIR
was filed against the Pastors when the villagers opposed the takeover of land.
The sessions court has rejected the bail application for the Pastors twice.

Church members brutally
attacked by Hindu extremists at Bastar, Chhattisgarh

September 8, 2015: Christian villagers in Karmari village, district
Bastar, Chhattisgarh were brutally attacked by Hindu extremists following the
passing of a resolution in the village banning all non-Hindu religious
activities. A mob of over 50 Hindu radicals gathered and surrounded a Church
building around 4 pm on September 8, 2015. Before any of the Christians could
even ask what was happening, the radicals attacked, assaulting Christians with
wooden clubs and sticks. When some women from the Church confronted the
radicals, they too were brutally beaten with wooden clubs and fists. Two
Christian women, Pulo Bhai and Ludri were seriously injured in the assault and
lost consciousness. As Christians in Karmari village face a social boycott,
life has become very difficult for them.

House Church Service
stopped at Palian Kalan, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh

September 13, 2015: Pastor Durgesh Yadav of Palian Kalan, Lakhimpur
Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh was threatened by a mob of around 200-250 people
led by local RSS and BJP leaders during Sunday worship service on 13 September
2015 at 11:00 am. The mob wanted him to stop conducting worship in the area.
The house Church of about 100 members has stopped worship as of now because of
the threats received. Pastor Yadav has filed a complained to the Palia Kalan
police station but the police have not yet lodged the FIR against the local
leaders.

September 18, 2015: Pastor Gaya Prasad Dharwiya and his wife, from
Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh were apprehended and threatened by a local RSS
leader who was accompanied by the police. The Pastor and his wife were
returning from a friend's house at Chandia town of Umria District, Madhya
Pradesh. The RSS leader and the policemen forcibly took the couple to the
Chandia Police Station without assigning any reason and detained them there for
more than eleven hours before letting them go late in the night. The
Superintendent of Police, Umria District ordered Pastor Dharviya and his wife
to be present at the Chandia Police Station next morning at 10:00AM.

Christians Beaten Up, Chased
Out from Home in Chhattisgarh

September 22, 2015: In Kongud, Kondagoan, Chhatisgarh, Hindu
extremists beat up two Christian siblings after they refused to renounce
Christ. The extremists summoned Mankuram Singh and his brother to a Hindu
temple and asked them to renounce Christ However, the Christians refused and
the mob thereafter started to beat them up, accused them of being involved in
forceful conversions and proceeded to vandalize their home. The attackers later
locked up their home and chased them out of the village. The brothers submitted
a police complaint with the help of area Christian leaders, but the police did
not register a case against the attackers and the extremists are threatening to
harm them if they do not withdraw their complaint.

Delhi, Pastor threatened
to stop Church service

September 27, 2015: September 27, 2015: Pastor Pradeep Kumar in
Matiala, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi was manhandled and threatened by some of his
neighbors who were led by local Hindu extremists. The attackers wanted to stop
the Sunday Church service that was going on.

October 3, 2015: Madhya Pradesh police arrested three evangelists
accusing them of proselytizing and forced conversions. The arrest took place at
a school located at Majhgawan, a small town in Satna district. The three
Stephen Rajkumar, 40; Harilal 20; and Anil Kumar have been charged under the
Madhya Pradesh freedom of religion act. The police also confiscated Bibles,
books, CDs and projectors that were with them.

26 Christian Families
threatened with boycott and ouster from the village at Betul, Madhya
Pradesh

October 3, 2015: Suraj Sariyam, a Christian from Chattarpur, Ghoda
Dongri, Betul district was threatened and harassed by local Hindu leader
Kailash Sariyam alias Gabba on October 3, 2015. Gabba not only stopped Suraj
from enter his own paddy field but also did not allow him to take water for
next two days from the village river. The village has 26 Christian families. On
October 5, 2015 the village council summoned all the Christian families for a
hearing. Orders were also issued to the villagers to boycott all the Christian
families. Villagers were told not to provide basic facilities like water etc. to
the Christians. But due to police intervention the hearing could not take
place. The Christians in the village are still getting threats from Hindu
extremists and are living in danger.

Christian family pressured
and threatened for Ghar Wapsi (re-conversion) at Satna, MP

October 5, 2015: A group of 15 Hindu extremists trespassed into the
home of a Christian family at Motwa village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh
and threatened them. The extremists were pressurizing the family to do a 'Ghar
Wapsi' (homecoming). This family had accepted Christianity 5 years ago. The
extremists threatened the family and warned them not to partake in Christian
worship service.

Pastor, his pregnant wife,
and their 11-month-old baby beaten at Kapurthala, Punjab

October 8, 2015: Pastor Arvinder Singh and his family were brutally
beaten up to the point of death by a mob
that included his neighbours in Phagwara city of Kapurthala district, Punjab.
Pastor Arvinder was hit with an iron object on his head, which made him unconscious
for a couple of hours. His wife, who was seven months pregnant, was manhandled
and struck many times over on her stomach by the mob. The couple's 11-month
baby boy was also thrown at pile of bricks, which caused him serious internal
injuries. No FIR has been registered till date.

Pastor's mother pelted
with stones in Dahod, Gujarat

October 12, 2015: Dasudi Ben Bhuriya (58), mother of Pastor Rajesh
Bhuriya was at tacked and pelted with stones by 6-7 Hindu extremists, on
October 12, at Bilwani village of Dahod district. She was admitted at the
Bilwani hospital as a result of the attack for treatment of her injuries.

Pastor Shot Dead in
Jharkhand

October 13, 2015: Pastor Chamu Hasda Purty of the Pentecostal Church
at Sandih, Khunti district was killed as unidentified people opened gunfire at
him after entering his house. The murder took place in the late evening of
October 13. Pastor Chamu Hasda Purty was well respected and valued by the local
community.

Christians summoned at
Police station for questioning on false charges of Conversion at Betul, MP

October 17, 2015: Two Christians, Yuvraj and Kumar Singh were taken
to the Bhimpur Police station in Betul district for questioning after local
Hindu extremists complained against them alleging religious conversions.
Christians have been gathering as a Church conducting regular Sunday worship at
Bhimpur village for more than a year now but they are getting regular threats
from local Hindu groups to close down the Church and move out of the village.

Christians detained at
police station on the complaint of Bajrang Dal and VHP members in Rajnandgaon,
Chhattisgarh

October 17, 2015: Members of Bajrang Dal attacked a prayer meeting
near Rajnandgaon and beat up the preacher Dev Kumar Sahu on October 17, 2015.
The meeting was held at the house of Mr. Lalit Sahu and about 50 Christians
were in attendance when more than 20 armed members of the Bajrang Dal
trespassed into the private property of Mr. Lalit Sahu and started pushing
people and beat up the preacher. The police carried the Christians to the
police station for questioning and they were let off later after EFI and other
local Christian leaders intervened.

Christian meeting
disrupted in Dalli Rajhara, Chhattisgarh

October 21, 2015: A prayer meeting organized at the home of Mrs.
Dhaneswari Sahu was disrupted by member of the Dharm Jagran Samiti along with
some representatives of the Sahu community who were angry that the family had
started organizing Christian prayer meetings at their home since last many
months. According to reports when the prayer meeting was going on, members of
the Dharm Jagran Samiti and representatives of the Sahu community arrived at
the house of Mrs. Dhaneswari Sahu in an inebriated state. They created a ruckus
and stopped the prayer meeting. They accused the Christians of conversions and
also charged them with scheming alleging that the Christians wanted to demolish
the nearby temple. The Christians have not reported the matter to the police.

Christians arrested in
Kanhiwada, Madhya Pradesh

October 25, 2015: A Christian woman and a man were arrested by the
police from a private prayer meeting at Bhatekhari village after a local Hindu
leader complained against them alleging conversions through allurement. Mrs.
Anjana Jharia and Mr. Manish Yadav were speaking at a private prayer meeting
organized at the house of a Christian, when the police arrested them on the
complaint of one Ashok Baghel. There is no evidence of Mr. Ashok Baghel even
being present in the meeting according to local Christians. They were charged
with sections 3 and 4 of the MP Freedom of Religion Act and under sections 506
and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. They were later bailed out.

Christians including
children arrested in Junardeo, Madhya Pradesh

October 25, 2015: At least 8 Christians plus two children were
arrested from Silvada, Junnardeo on cooked up charges of forced conversion and
of hurting religious sentiments this included a family from Bhopal who had come
down to Junnardeo for their vacations. Pastor A J Thomas, his wife, and two
children, John (14) and Kezia (12) were among the people arrested. Pastor
Thomas and his wife were later put in a jail in Junnardeo while their children
were taken to Chhindwara which is 50 kilometres away. Later the children were
separated and while Kezia was sent to Shahdol (421 Kilometres away), John was
sent to Narsinghpur (125 Kilometres away), where they await their bail till the
writing of this story. Their parents have been bailed out.

Thursday, November 05, 2015

We the undersigned Indian Christians as citizens of our country
India and as Christians in unequivocal terms denounce the growing intolerance
in the country. We also denounce the sinister attempts to do away with
reservation policy and ultimately the attempt to undermine the Constitution of
India; we denounce the planned move to utilize religion for politico-economic
benefits; we denounce the well orchestrated efforts to use government machinery
to achieve ones evil ends;we denounce
all the efforts to divide the nation into fiefdom of some elements.

We denounce all the attempts to erode scientific temper and
scholarship by meddling with the education system of the country. We are
inspecial way concerned at how the
Indigenous Adivasi People in our country are being coerced to leave their
traditional nature-based religious beliefs and practices and are subjected to
so-called ‘ghar vapsi’ by some hindutva elements thus ushering in disharmony
within their communities. Under this pretext, they are being alienated from
their natural habitat and resources.

As citizens, we uphold the democratic, secular and socialist
principles and practices of our mother country; we uphold the basic foundations
of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution for
all the citizens of the country; we uphold the right to freedom of different
cultures, religions, ways of life, beliefs, traditions, practices, customs and
orientations; we uphold the right of the citizens to live a life without any
intimidation by anyone; we uphold the age old tradition of living in harmony
and unity by all the citizens of this country; we uphold the value of rural
reconstruction and nation building.

Further, we stand in solidarity with all victims of targeted
violence against Adivasis, Dalits, Women, religious minorities and people of
other orientations. We uphold freedom of expression and ways of life. We are in
defence of human rights defenders and advocacy groups.

We stand in solidarity with all those from various walks of life,
faiths, traditions, backgrounds, cultures, communities, professions and
orientations who have raised voice against the growing intolerance in the
country and call upon all the citizens to resist every move to create crisis
and conflict by some vested interests.

We invite others too to stand up at this time and express concern
and do whatever is needed to uphold inclusive development, peace, unity,
integrity, sovereignty and harmony in our Country India.

Citizens of India

Mr. Francis Colaso – Former DGP Karnataka

John Dayal – Member, National Integration Council, Writer and
Activist

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

They make up no more than 4% of India’s 1.2 billion people but Sikhs and Christians are more likely to be undertrials, detenues and convicts than Hindus and Muslims.

Hindus are least likely to be undertrials and convicts. Christians are most likely to be detained and imprisoned. These data, contained in Prison Statistics India 2014, were released last month by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

There are relatively more Sikhs in prison (as undertrials, convicts, detenues and other prisoners) than followers of any other faith. 840 per million Sikhs are in prison followed by Christians (601), Muslims (477) and Hindus (305).

In India there are a total of 4,18,536 prisoners, of which 282,879 are undertrials followed by convicts (131,517), detenues (3,237) and other prisoners (903). 346 per million people in India are prisoners.

The proportion of Sikh and Christian undertrials in Indian prisons is two times their proportion in the general population, according to the NCRB data.

As convicts, the proportion of Sikhs is three times their proportion in the general population and for Christians, it’s two times.

There is no official explanation for the higher relative proportion of Sikhs and Christians in jail. The highest number of Sikh undertrials is in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, which account for 83% of all Sikh undertrials in the country.

The highest number of Christian undertrials comes from Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Orissa, accounting for nearly half (46%) of all Christian undertrials. These are also states where the Christian population is overwhelmingly poor: drawn from scheduled-caste converts in Tamil Nadu and tribal converts in Jharkhand and Orissa.

As many as 282,879 people are undertrials in jails across India. 70% of these undertrials are Hindu, 21% Muslim, 4% Christian and 4% Sikh.

The proportion of undertrials who are Hindus (70%) is 10 percentage points less than their proportion in the general population (80%), according to an IndiaSpend analysis of NCRB data. The proportion of Muslim undertrials is seven percentage points more than their proportion in the general population.

490 per million Sikhs are undertrials, the highest for any faith. The figure for India is 234 undertrials per million people.

An estimated 397 per million Christians, 346 per million Muslims and 204 per million Hindus are undertrials.

The religious profile of convicts is along similar lines.

The proportion of Hindu convicts (72%) is eight percentage points less than their proportion in the general population (80%). The proportion of Muslim convicts is two percentage points more than their proportion in the general population.

350 per million Sikhs are convicts, the highest for any faith. The national figure is 109 convicts per million people.

An estimated 185 per million Christians are convicts, compared to 125 per million Muslims and 99 per million Hindus.

Christian undertrials increase 53% over five years

There was an 18% increase in undertrial prisoners across India over the past five years.

Christian undertrials increased 53% from 7,198 in 2010 to 11,048 in 2014; however, there was a decline of 11% in 2014 over 2013.

In overall terms, there was an increase of 5% in convicts over the past five years.

Sikh convicts increased 32%, from 5,500 in 2010 to 7,286 in 2014, while Christian convicts went up 24% over the same period.

The number of Hindu convicts rose 4%; Muslim convicts declined 5%.

Tamil Nadu, home to most Christian undertrials

The highest number of Christian undertrials is in Tamil Nadu (2,538).

Hindu undertrials increased 18% over the past five years, followed by Sikh (17%) and Muslim (12%).

As many as 197,273 Hindus were undertrials at the end of 2014 across India, followed by Muslims (59,550), Christians (11,048), Sikhs (10,203) and others (4,805).

Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country with 200 million people, had 62,515 undertrials. Bihar (26,800) is second, followed by Maharashtra (19,895), Madhya Pradesh (19,188) and Punjab (15,467).

In terms of undertrials per million people, Delhi tops with 606, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli (579), Punjab (558), Mizoram (506) and Haryana (439).

There are 3,237 detenues in jails across India; of these 63% (2,030) are Hindu, 20% (658) are Muslim and 16% (505) are Christian, mirroring the profile of undertrials and convicts.

(Mallapur is a policy analyst with IndiaSpend)

This story was originally published inIndiaSpend ,India’s first data-journalism initiative.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

A Christian minister was shot dead in eastern India, an act a church leader said points to a trend of terrorizing Christians in the tribal-dominated Jharkhand state.

Chamu Hasda Purty, 54, of the Independent Pentecostal Church, was shot dead Oct. 12 in Sandhi village of the state's Khunti district. Police officials said they are unsure of the motives for the murder and that the attackers are on the run.

Nuas Mundu, a close family friend, told ucanews.com that a group of armed men barged into the minister's house and one of them shot him.

Mundu, also a minister with the same church, said the incident has created panic among the area's Christians.

Christian leaders have reported several cases of attacks against Christians after pro-Hindu groups gained political importance in the country.

Jharkhand state, as well as the federal government, is currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is considered the political arm of Hindu nationalist groups.

The motive "is to terrorize Christians" said Subhash Kongari, a lawyer and district president of Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh, the national Christian forum.

He told ucanews.com that the area is impoverished and mostly indigenous people and the poor have benefited from the church's charitable works. This has antagonized Hindu groups.

The murder should not be seen as an isolated criminal action. "Every year we witness an average of two murders in the area and several other forms of violence," Kongari said. "They are all part of an agenda to terrorize people (so that they) disassociate with Christianity."

He noted that for centuries, indigenous people "have lived in servitude (and were) subjugated and lived cut away from mainstream of life."

Hindu leaders have often warned that Christian missionaries would be dealt with drastically if they do not desist from "forcible conversion" of indigenous people and poor people.

Jharkhand, created in 2000 from tribal-dominated areas of Bihar state, is home to a vibrant, mostly tribal Christian community.

Hindu groups have also accused Christians of luring poor villagers to Christianity with material offers and have reiterated the party's demand for laws to check conversions to Christianity.

Media have reported several instances of churches being destroyed and of Hindu groups beating Christians and threatening to kill them if they do not renounce Christ.

Jharkhand, with a population of 33 million people, now has some 1.4 million Christians, most of whom are indigenous people or those belonging to the dalit or former untouchable castes.

The state's 4.5 percent Christian population is almost double that of the national average.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

RAIPUR:
Chhattisgarh high court has ordered that tribal Bastar region's
panchayat resolution passed last year, imposing ban on non-Hindu
religious missionaries, won't come in the way of exercising fundamental
right to preach and propagate religion.

The bench of Justice
Manindra Mohan Shrivastava passed the order last week while hearing a
writ petition filed by Chhattisgarh Christian Forum and others
challenging constitutionality of resolution adopted by panchayat bodies
last year banning non-Hindu religious missionaries in their areas. The
court order, copy of which was made available on Wednesday, said
advocate-general will get three weeks to seek instructions and make
appropriate submission on the dispute raised before court.

Advocate general J K Gilda and deputy advocate general R K Gupta
appeared for the state while counsel Alok Bakshi appeared for
petitioners.

Christian bodies had moved high court in Bilaspur
last year after a number of gram panchayats in tribal Bastar region
passed resolutions at gram sabha, quoting provisions of Section 129 (G)
of Chhattisgarh Panchayat Raj Act, banning "non-Hindu religious
propaganda, prayers and speeches in villages".

The copy of the
impugned resolution had stated, "To stop forced conversion by outside
religious campaigners and to prevent them from using derogatory language
against Hindu deities and customs, Sirisguda gram sabha bans religious
activities such as prayers, meetings and propaganda of all non-Hindu
religions."

The petitioners had contended the ban was a
violation of fundamental rights guaranteed in Constitution and
provisions of Panchayati Raj Act cannot have an overriding effect. They
also sought legal action against officials for dereliction of duty for
allegedly not acting in accordance with law.

There have been
reports few right-wing organizations had motivated local villagers to
adopt such a resolution under provisions of Panchayati Raj Act. Click here for source

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

A pastor in Madhya Pradesh state is recovering after Hindu extremists last month beat him unconscious and left him in a pool of blood, sources said. About 20 Hindu extremists in Fattiguda, Jhabua on Sept. 10 kicked, punched and beat with a club pastor Ajmer Singh Damor of Shalom Church, after storming into a prayer meeting at the home of Tihiya Vasunia, church leaders said. "Pastor Ajmer remained unconscious for about five hours, and the local doctors transferred him to the district hospital due to the severity of his injuries," area Christian leader Amiya Jal told Morning Star News. "He was treated in the hospital for more than a week." Most of the Christians at the gathering scattered and escaped harm, but the Hindu extremists also abducted church member Dilu Katara and beat him before releasing him later that evening. Katara received hospital treatment for abrasions and internal injuries. The assailants also beat Pastor Damor's wife, Runita Damor, but she was able to flee with her 18-month-old baby, said the Rev. Sam Francis, an area Christian leader. Yelling that all Christian worship meetings must cease, the assailants destroyed household items and slaughtered one of Vasunia's goats, church leaders said. "They killed the goat of Vasunia that was tied outside as they continued to shout that no such prayer should take place in the village in future," Jal said. "It was a male goat worth about 6,000 rupees [US$92]. Vasunia is only a poor farmer, and he also lost most of his household items."

Police registered a First Information Report against the attackers after the intervention of area Christian leaders, but it does not include the damage to Vasunia's house and the killing of his goat, church leaders said.

Christians Attacked, ArrestedChristians in Madhya Pradesh have grown increasingly alarmed over recent violence and false charges against them. Authorities in Barkhat village, Bagh block, Dhar, on Sept. 6 arrested 14 Christians after the village head, Chetan Singh, summoned a meeting and threatened to kill Pastor Dayal Davar of Gram Barkhat Church (GBC). "At 9 a.m. on Sept. 5, the village head along with the Hindu extremists threatened to beat up Pastor Davar if he continued to conduct any kind of Christian meetings, told him that they will not allow him to stay in the village and threatened to kill him if he did not renounce Christ," GBC pastor Suresh Mandloi told Morning Star News. Later that day at about 6 p.m., Pastor Davar and other area church leaders reported the matter to officers and sought police protection. Two hours later, police summoned Pastor Davar and ordered him to stop leading prayer meetings in the village; he was compelled to sign a paper stating that only he and his family would pray in his house. The next day, however, before the pastor was able to notify the congregation not to gather forSunday worship, about 100 Christians arrived. Hindu extremists showed up and began beating the Christians. "They beat up the congregation with their hands, clubs and footwear, including a woman, Sagar Bai, 50 years old, and tore up the clothes of one teenage girl, Bhawanti, and claimed that no Christian meetings should take place in the area," Pastor Mandloi said. Officers took 14 Christians to the Tanda police station, including an 11-year-old boy who was later released without charges. The other 13 were charged under Section 151 of the Indian Penal Code for disturbing the peace. The Christians also submitted a complaint against the attackers, but police have not filed First Information Report against them. On the same day (Sept. 6) in Kesla Kala village, Seoni, police arrested Christians Sunny Oman and John Alexander after a villager filed a police complaint against them of forceful conversion. "Oman and Alexander were visiting a friend in Kesla Kala when a mob surrounded them and took them to the police station and falsely accused them of forceful conversion," area church leader Rev. Jaykar Christy told Morning Star News. "The two were just visiting the village on the invitation of Chand Gedam, and there was no case of forceful conversion." The Christians were charged under the state's "anti-conversion" law, the so-called Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, which prohibits forcible or fraudulent conversion. They were released on bail later that evening. The previous day in Amjhera, Dhar, police arrested Pastor Paras Bilwal and two Christians after a Hindu extremist mob harassed them for their faith in Christ. "Pastor Bilwal and two Christians, Raju and Roop Singh, were visiting some church members in the Nankhodara area when the anti-Christian people manhandled them, threatened them with dire consequences if they visited the village again and filed a police complaint against them of forceful conversion," said the Rev. Paul Munia, an area church leader. The Christians were arrested under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of others, and under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. They were released on bail after four days. Area church leaders said the Christians had engaged in no forceful conversion.

BHOPAL: Three people were arrested in Satna district late on Saturday under state's anti-conversion law. The trio reportedly told police they work for Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS), an NGO which preaches Christianity and has a presence in northern states for more than four decades, police said. Of three, one accused Stephan Rajkumar, 40, is a resident of Chennai, other accused Harilal, 20, is a resident of Rewa and the third, Anil Kumar is resident of Azamgarh, said Majhgawan police station in charge Khem Singh. "The trio has been booked under sections 3 and 4 of Madhya Pradesh Dharm Swatantrya Adhiniyam, besides Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Section 506 (criminal intimidation). They did not inform the collector before converting locals," he said.

"They converted two people by offering Rs 5,000. One of them complained to us. Subsequently, all three were arrested from a local school while they were holding preaching sessions on Saturday night. CDs, projectors and other material used to propagate Christianity were recovered." "They converted more than 10 people in Satna district. We have recorded statements of the two, who were converted. We are tracking 10 others, who were allegedly converted. Their statements will also be recorded," Singh said. Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 1968, bans conversions by force, allurement or fraud and there is a provision of imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 50,000 as per recent amendments in the Act.